In honor of "Labor" Day, I thought I would tell you a short story about how our dear Didi was born! Back in 1965, Charles and Nadine were long expecting this blessed event. Of course, they were expecting it about a week later. No worries, though, as Nadine's mama, Miss Strong, was prepared to drive them to the hospital. She had even arranged a police escort ahead of time, thanks to her special connections. Things were tense, as could be expected, but everything was going smoothly until, from the back seat, Nadine announced that the baby was coming - really coming - hospital or not. Without so much as flinching, Miss Strong put her foot to the floor and her hand to the horn. Before long, she was burying the speedometer needle. She even decided to pass her police escort and now it looked as though they were being chased. Charles' objections turned to palms-together promises, for he was nearly certain that his mother-in-law was going to kill them all. The car was going so fast, it might have moved slower had you dropped it off a cliff. About a mile or so before they reached the hospital, smoke started billowing from under the hood. The smoke soon gave way to open flames. Nadine was too distracted to notice but Charles had resigned himself to the fact that this was "it." About four blocks before the hospital, the engine finally seized up. This could have been the only thing that stopped them from crashing through the Emergency Room wall. They coasted the rest of the way, coming to a gentle stop in front of the ER. Well, it may be an exaggeration to say that the baby was the first one through the door, but it was the honest truth that she was born on a moving gurney that had not quite cleared the waiting room. A little boy with a broken arm learned more than he ever wanted to know about the birds and the bees that day. As for the car, the repairs were quite expensive, but Miss Strong felt it was worth it to not have Didi born on the side of the road. The next morning Charles noticed his first gray hair, the result of the first of many, many days to come worrying about his daughter. Happy Labor Day to all!!